Once, the initial domain of applications covered by Multibody Dynamics (MBD) was just mechanics of solids. Now, many different types of problems have been added to MBD capabilities, from simulation of nonlinear flexible bodies to co-simulation with other disciplines like Fluid Dynamics. But observing what has been the history of the development of MBD so far, two opposite directions can be pointed out: on one side, the preoccupation has been with increasing model fidelity, leading to models exhibiting more and more degrees of freedom, using techniques like co-simulation with other solvers, or just boosting the capabilities of MBD own solvers. On the other side, there appears to have been a need to condense very specific types of MBD models to make them run faster and faster, finally reaching real-time.

This article explores the current capabilities of MBD commercial solvers and the associated design processes that this double evolution has made possible.

This article appeared in the January 2024 issue of BENCHMARK.